With all that has transpired over the last two years, many are looking for ways to give back or help out those in the community who could do with a helping hand. One platform that aims to safely bring people together and encourage acts of kindness is social kindness platform, One Another.
One Another was created by Lisa Hollinshead, who has teamed up with Manly Observer & Project Kindness to partner with Sydney businesses to ensure that members of our local community who need support, don’t go without this Christmas.
Sydney-siders are invited to drop off gift donations at selected local venues/ business partner locations across the region including. Studio Pilates Balgowlah, Johnny’s Coffee Market Lane Cafe in Manly, Beaches Lash Co. are just some of the local businesses collaborating to bring joy across the community this Christmas, with more locations across greater Sydney to be announced soon!
Bobbi, founder of The Pottery Cafe in Sydney’s Northern Beaches said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with One Another Community to help give back. Community is at the core of everything we do at The Pottery Cafe and we jumped at the chance to be able to support the Christmas Gift Drive and help put a smile on as many faces as possible this Christmas, which makes our hearts smile too.”
Members can search via One Another’s app for specific gift donation requests from members of the local community and drop off their contribution at an elected partner venue’s Community Christmas tree. Alternatively, they can purchase a gift and mark on the label who it is appropriate for. For example “a 4-year-old fan of cars” or “a single mum in need of self-care” or even “a hamper to feed a family of four on Christmas Day”. The options are endless.
In addition to gift donations, people can ‘pay it forward’ and pre-purchase an item from each partner’s store or cafe and pop the details on a “Donation Decoration” to hang on the dedicated tree. Whether a cookie, a coffee, or an hour pilates session, it’s up to you to choose what you’d like to contribute to ‘pay it forward’ to the wider community.
“Unprecedented times of isolation recently have highlighted how it feels to be vulnerable or helpless, which has opened up a collective consciousness that this is what everyday life is like for some people even at the best of times. Since launching One Another Community last November, I have been in awe of the outpouring of kindness across our Sydney community. Members have been offering their time and services to the community in kindness to help support those who need it most,” said One Another founder, Lisa Hollinshead.
“It was a natural progression of the platform to facilitate gift donations during the festive period, and again we’ve been inundated with local businesses who want to get involved and support our Christmas Gift Guide initiative.”
Members can view a list of community partners via the website, and also via One Another’s social media channels. Real-time requests and offers will also appear on the app, which can be downloaded for free from all app stores.
Whilst born out of a COVID-19 age, One Another has been created to provide continued support within our communities, whenever they need it. Loneliness is an existing epidemic across Australia with 1 in 2 Australians admitting to feeling alone, pre-COVID-19. It’s a sobering statistic, which isn’t likely to go away any time soon.
One Another Community’s app is available in all app stores and encourages community spirit by matching members of communities that need help, with those who want to offer support both digitally and at a grassroots level.
To find out more about One Another and to register simply head to the website.
Remember, in a gentle way, you can shake the world…..